"Hmm~ Quite lively. But have this many people been outside? Why are there so many thugs around? Whatever, I'll ask later."
Alistair looked at the crowd, which was about half the size of the morning rush hour. There were also quite a few people blocking students near the intersection. Though Alistair called them thugs, they were wearing the Sakura Public Academy uniform, so they were likely upperclassmen. But they looked shady, with their uniforms worn carelessly, as if they were just thrown on.
Alistair rubbed his chin in confusion, then dismissed it. He'd ask when he got back. He was in a decent mood and didn't want to look for trouble. As for upholding justice? Alistair didn't want to be a nice guy; it would be a good thing if he didn't join in on extorting someone.
"Hey, student, you look unfamiliar. Are you a first-year freshman?"
A tall guy with obvious muscles, clearly from frequent exercise, enthusiastically approached Alistair. What was even more noticeable was his dense, bright red hair, which was kept long, making him look like a certain chuunibyou martial arts master (Afu) beaten up by Jackie Chan in The Adventures of Jackie Chan.
"Oh, let me introduce myself. My name is Fuku Ikeda, I'm a second-year. And this is Daisuke Kamona, also a second-year."
Seeing Alistair stare at them without saying a word, Fuku Ikeda assumed Alistair was intimidated and quickly introduced himself.
"We're from the Judo Club. This afternoon is the club recruitment drive. I think a junior like you really needs to work out. Otherwise, you'll get bullied easily. Join our club, and if anyone dares to bully you, tell me, and I'll take care of them."
Alistair had initially assumed they were trying to extort him and was ready to give one of them a big slap. But since they were promoting their club, he listened. However, seeing Fuku Ikeda's intensely familiar look, Alistair couldn't resist asking, "Is your nickname Black Tiger?"
"Huh? How did you know? Did you look me up? That's right, my nickname in the Judo Club is Black Tiger Afu! Isn't that badass? I'm the strongest contemporary player in the club!"
Fuku Ikeda patted his chest proudly and confidently. Beside him, Daisuke Kamona covered his face with one hand, looking like he wanted to disown his friend.
"Don't mind him, Junior. He's a second-year now, a Senpai, and he wants to recruit a few juniors to lead and enjoy the thrill of being a mentor."
Daisuke Kamona slapped Fuku Ikeda's shoulder, mercilessly exposing Fuku Ikeda's true intentions to Alistair.
"Awesome, that's truly impressive."
Alistair genuinely found him amazing. The name and the look matched perfectly. However, Alistair had no intention of joining the club. Suddenly, Alistair remembered something. He found the key.
"Are you... Daisuke Kamona?" Alistair asked, looking at the tall, skinny guy.
"Uh? Yes, that's right. Is there... a problem?" Daisuke Kamona asked, pointing at himself with confusion.
"Oh, my History teacher also has the surname Kamona, so I was just wondering." Alistair's tone was natural, and his expression conveyed genuine curiosity. Fuku Ikeda and Daisuke Kamona didn't suspect anything and explained.
"Ah, yes, that's my stepmother. She teaches here." Daisuke Kamona nodded, clarifying his relationship with Alistair's History teacher.
"Isn't she beautiful and gentle? Ah~ Daisuke, I'm so jealous you have such a beautiful and kind mother~"
Fuku Ikeda patted Daisuke's shoulder enviously, his tone sour as if he'd just swallowed a lemon.
"Uh, heh heh..." Daisuke Kamona didn't know how to respond and just laughed awkwardly.
Alistair watched all this without intervening. After all, he couldn't just blurt out, Hey Daisuke, I want to fuck your stepmother, could he?
"Let's go, Junior. We'll escort you into the school, otherwise, those guys might look for trouble."
Fuku Ikeda patted Alistair's back, urging him to keep walking. Alistair shrugged and walked alongside them.
"Junior, are you wondering why there are so many people out today? It's because afternoon classes were cancelled. This afternoon is specifically for the club recruitment drive. Also, the third-year students are supposed to start school today, too, but not many have shown up." Fuku Ikeda explained to Alistair.
"The third-years are only just starting? And only a few of them?"
Alistair was puzzled. In his old high school, third-years would have started at least a month earlier. Why were they starting so late here?
"It's because of our school, you've probably figured some things out these past few days. The upperclassmen aiming for college study at home or go to cram schools. The rest of them are just thugs who only know how to bully people. So, the school made the third-year students wait at least three days to a week before coming back. Otherwise, those scumbags would block every entrance and exit of the school to bully the new students. At least this gives the freshmen a preliminary understanding of the school."
Fuku Ikeda explained the school's intention while expressing his disdain for the bullies.
No wonder Alistair felt the school was a bit empty when he first arrived—an entire grade was missing.
"Actually, the club recruitment drive is usually in the second week of school. I don't know why it was moved up this time. The third-year Senpais I know said they didn't receive a notice. Maybe it was to prevent some of the scum seniors from coming to bully people, but they are very well-informed. Maybe they're here today to establish dominance or something." Fuku Ikeda speculated, crossing his arms.
"Whatever. I don't care."
Alistair's expression was like a burnt-out BoBoiBoy. He yawned, looking utterly unconcerned.
Seeing this, Fuku Ikeda and Daisuke Kamona didn't say anything more. They had just met him, and they wouldn't interfere with his choices.
Under the "protection" of Fuku Ikeda and Daisuke Kamona, Alistair didn't encounter anyone foolish enough to cause trouble. They walked smoothly into the school.
It was about two o'clock in the afternoon. Normally, this would be class time, but with the club recruitment drive, things were bustling.
As soon as Alistair entered the building, he saw second-year Senpais on both sides waving colorful forms and flyers. The most popular clubs seemed to be Baseball, Judo, and Kendo. The Soccer Club also had a large crowd.
These clubs all had school teams that participated in various competitions. Good performance could lead to joining prestigious teams, such as the famous Koshien tournament for Baseball.
Unlike his previous world, where education was the simplest path but limited many people's talents, here, while academics weren't as paramount, the abundance of free time meant many people could fully seek and develop their talents. However, talented people are still the minority, so whether this system is better is up for debate.